Thread cutter for bobbin winders



y 1950 R. L. SLINKARD ETAL 2,514,423

THREAD CUTTER FOR BOBBIN WINDERS Filed NOV. 21, 1947 I X/11ml gumInventors Raymond L. Slinkard Arthur B. Miller- Patented July 11, 1950THREAD CUTTER FOR BOBBIN WINDERS Raymond L. Slinkard and Arthur B.Miller, Cape Girardeau, Mo., assignors to United Shoe MachineryCorporation, Flemington, N. J., a corporationof New Jersey ApplicationNovember 21, 1947, Serial No. 787,410

The present invention relates to machines for winding sewing machinebobbins or other thread packages and primarily to improvements indevices for severing the thread between successively wound bobbins insuch machines. As hereinafter described the invention is embodied in anautomatic bobbin winding machine of the type disclosed in United StatesLetters Patent No. 2,343,935, granted March 14, 1944, on application ofPaul W. Senfieben.

The machine of the patent above referred to is provided with a rotarywinding spindle on which a series of bobbins are clamped in adjacentflange to flange relation. The spindle has cooperating with it a threadcontroller arranged automatically to engage the thread on eachsuccessive bobbin being wound on the spindle and to be forced outwardlyof the bobbin during each winding operation. Outward movement of thevcontroller from a bobbin being filled with thread causes the windingoperation on that bobbin to be terminated and the winding operation onanother bobbin to be started, the spindle being advanced relatively tothe thread controller the distance between bobbins at the end of eachwinding operation. In the patented machine a thread severin knife ismounted directly upon the thread controller and acts as soon asthethread controller enters the flanges of a bobbin to sever the threadcrossing the flanges of adjacent bobbins. In some instances, thesevering action of the knife may occur when only a few turns have beenwound upon a new unfilled bobbin, the thread being wound insuificientlyto insure a reliable frictional grip on the new bobbin. In suchinstances the machine will no longer wind bobbins automatically andmanual winding of the thread on the new bobbin will be required torestore automatic operations.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a bobbin windingmachine with a thread severing knife arranged to to act in such a waythat winding operations will not be terminated by reason of the threadsevering knife acting before a suflicient number of turns has been woundon a bobbin or by reason of other conditions which might be detrimentalto starting winding operations upon each new unfilled bobbin.Accordingly, the machine hereinafter described is provided with a threadcontroller and means for advancing the spindle relatively to the threadcontroller in preparation for each new winding operation, as in thepatented machine, in which a knife on the thread controller'is actuatedby an arm and other connections all carried by the 6 Claims. (Cl.242-21) thread controller to sever the thread leading from a filledbobbin to a bobbin being wound only after the thread controller has beenengaged by the thread on the bobbin and moved outwardly a definitedistance from its innermost position between the flanges of the bobbinbeing wound. Preferably the knife is mounted on the thread controller asin the prior machine and the arm is actuated by stationary means to movethe knife after each new winding operation is started.

To this end, and as hereinfater illustrated, the thread severing knifeis mounted upon and actuated by an eccentric pivot carried by the threadcontroller and the eccentric pivot is rotated by the arm to move theknife toward and from cutting position in accordance with the movementsof the thread controller. Specifically, the pivot is rotated by an armarranged to engage stationary pins at the ends of the thread controllermovement, thus shifting the knife to the desired positions so thatduring entry of the thread controller between the flanges of an emptybobbin there will be no danger of cutting the thread accidentally by theknife while effective severing action will be insured during the reversemovement of the thread controller.

These and other features of the invention relating to certainconstructions, combinations and arrangements of parts as hereinafterclaimed will be clearly understood from the following description takenin connection with the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a viewin side elevation illustrating essential parts of a machine having athread controller and a winding spindle with bobbins thereon, in whichthe thread severing knife of the present invention is embodied; and

Fig. 2 is a sectional view in rear elevation on a somewhat enlargedscale illustrating the construction of the eccentric pivot mounting forthe thread severing knife shown in Fig. l.

The winding machinedisclosed herein is provided with a rotating windingspindle It! to which a series of empty bobbins are attached, two ofwhich are indicated at 12, and a thread controller, indicated at M, ofthe same construction and mode of operation as set forth in the patentabove referred to. In the machine of the patent the thread controllerswings in a fixed plane about a stationary shaft l3 and after beingengaged by the thread on a bobbin being wound is forced outwardly frombetween the flanges of the bobbin and winding operation on the filledbobbin is terminated. The spindle is then moved lengthwise to carry thefilled bobbin from beneath the thread controller the distance betweensuccessive bobbins on the spindle and to bring an empty bobbin intocooperative relationship with the thread controller. The threadcontroller then enters between the flanges of an empty bobbin, thethread running from the filled bobbin being carried across the adjacentflanges of the bobbins as at 15 and :being led into the empty bobbin inorder to start the winding operation thereon.

In the machine of the patent a thread severing knife is mounted on thecontroller at the same side of the winding spindle with the controllerto act on the thread along the portion l5 crossing the adjacent flangeson the filled and unfilled bobbins before the thread controller isengaged by the increasing mass of thread on the unfilled bobbin. Undercertain conditions of adjustment in the machine or with extremely stiffthread the number of turns wound on the new unfilled bobbin may beinsuflicient to insure proper frictional grip of the windings on thatbobbin for continued winding operations, the few turns applied to thebobbin before severing the thread sliding as the bobbin rotates withoutcontinuing to draw thread from the supply. Consequently, the winding isinterrupted and a manual winding operation is required before thewinding may be continued automatically.

In the machine of the present invention, failure of continued automaticwinding operations is avoided by insuring application of an adequatenumber' of turns to a bobbin being wound before the thread betweenbobbins is severed by the knife. For this purpose the knife, indicatedat it, for severing the thread is mounted for movement on the threadcontroller to act at the underside of the bobbins being wound in. such away that the thread is severed only after the thread controller isengaged by the thread on each bobbin being wound rather than beforebeing engaged by the thread as in the machine of the prior patent. Theknife I6 is so mounted on the thread controller that it acts only whenthe thread controller is moving outwardly from between the flanges of abobbin and is rendered inoperative while the thread controller isentering between the flanges of an empty bobbin.

The mounting for the knife l6 comprises a C-shaped bracket 18, the upperend of which is clamped by a screw 20 to the thread controller and whichis prevented from rotation about the screw by a dowel pin 22 and a pairof side lugs 24 on the controller. The lower end of the bracket has abearing for a flanged eccentric mounting pivot 26 for the knife and astop abutment against which the lower end of the knife is pressed by acoil spring 28 stretched between a pin on the knife and a pin on thebracket. To actuate the knife on the thread controller according to afeature of the invention,the eccentric pivot 26 is rotatable in thebracket i 8 and has a squared portion to fit a square perforation in anarm 30' projecting downwardly from the cocentric, the arm thus beingmounted for rotary movement on the controller and being directly andoperatively connected to the knife through connections, including theeccentric pivot, carried entirely by the controller. As the controlleris moved to enter and to withdraw from between the flanges of a bobbinbeing wound the arm 30 is moved relatively to the controller and engagesfirst a stationary pin 32 and then a stationary pin 34 mounted on theframe of the machine to cause the eccentric to be rotated. Rotation ofthe co- 4 centric in this way moves the knife up and down, toward andfrom operative relation with the flanges of adjacent filled and unfilledbobbins. When the arm engages the pin 32 the knife is moved away from adot-dash path 35 tangent to the flanges on the bobbins so that duringmovement of the thread controller in entering between the flanges of anew bobbin the knife will be inoperative. When the arm is engaged by thepin 34 the arm is moved relatively to the thread controller and theeccentric is rotated to move the knife toward the tangent path 35, theknife thusbeing rendered operative to intersect the path of the threadwhen the controller is moved by the thread sufliciently. The thread,thus, is not severed until the thread controller is moved outwardly asubstantial distance by engagement with the controller of the thread ona bobbin being wound by reason of the movement of the thread controllerabout its mounting shaft l3 and the relatively small diameter of thebobbin flanges. The thread severing position of the knife [6 illustratedin Fig. 1 is maintained by the frictional engagement of the arm 30 withthe bracket l8 produced by the force of a spring washer 3T pressedagainst the bracket by check nuts 38 threaded on the reduced end of theeccentric pivot 26. Similarly, the knife is held in a nonseveringposition out of engagement with the flanges on the bobbins by the samemeans.

The knife It comprises a lever pivoted on the eccentric portion of thepivot 26 and has a sickle shape at its upper end, the extremity of whichsevers the thread. Fulcruming the knife on the pivot 26 also preventsbreakage in case of accidental contact between the knife and the flangeson a bobbin when the machine is being manually adjusted before being setin operation, the spring 25 permitting the knife to yield whenaccidentally engaging the bobbin flanges. To secure the knife on thepivot 26 the pivot is provided with a pair of check nuts 36 threaded ona reduced end of the pivot opposite the arm 30.

By providing a knife which acts only after the thread controller hasbeen engaged by the thread being wound on an unfilled bobbin, the threadrunning to the adjacent filled bobbin is severed when several layers ofthread have been wound on the unfilled bobbin. In this way a firm gripof the thread on. the unfilled bobbin is insured and interruption ofcontinued automatic winding operations is prevented. Accordingly, theoperation of the machine is rendered reliable and the effectiveness ofthe knife is insured.

The nature and scope of the invention having been indicated and aparticular embodiment having been described, what is claimed is:

l. A bobbin winding machine having a rotatable spindle movable in alengthwise direction for supporting a plurality of flanged bobbins, athread controller swingin in a fixed plane arranged for engagement withand outward movement by the thread on a bobbin being wound to cause thewinding operation on that bobbin to be terminated and the windingoperation on another bobbin to be started, and a knife for severing thethread leading from a bobbin on which the winding operation isterminated to a bobbin being wound, in combination with an arm andconnections between the arm and the knife carried by the controller toactuate the knife after the controller has been moved outwardly by thethread on the bobbin being'wound.

2. A bobbin winding machine having a rotatable spindle movable in alengthwise direction for supporting a plurality of flanged bobbins, athread controller arranged for swinging movement in a fixed plane andfor engagement with the thread between the flanges on a bobbin beingwound to cause the winding operation on that bobbin to be terminated andthe winding operation on another bobbin to be started, and a knifemounted on the thread controller for severing the thread leading fromone bobbin on which the winging operation is terminated to anotherbobbin on which the winding operation is being started, in combinationwith an arm on the thread controller, operative connections carried bythe controller between the arm and the knife and stationary means foractuating the arm to move the knife after the controller is engaged bythe thread on the second of said bobbins.

3. A bobbin winding machine having a rotatable spindle movable in alengthwise direction for supporting a plurality of flanged bobbins, athread controller arranged for movement in a fixed planeand forengagement with the thread between the flanges on a bobbin being woundto cause the winding operation on that bobbin to be terminated and theWinding operation on another bohbin to be started, and a knife mountedon the thread controller for severing the thread leading from one bobbinon which the winding operation is terminated to another bobbin on whichthe winding operation is being started, in combination with an arm onthe thread controller, operative connections carried by the controllerbetween the arm and the knife, stationary means for actuating the arm tomove the knife after the controller is engaged by the thread on thesecond of said bobbins and other stationary means for rendering theknife inoperative as the thread controller enters between the flanges ofan unfilled bobbin.

4. A bobbin winding machine having a rotat able spindle for supportin aplurality of flanged bobbins, and a thread controller arranged forengagement with the thread between the flanges on a bobbin being woundto cause the winding operation on that bobbin to be terminated and thewinding operation on another bobbin to be started, in combination with aknife for severing the thread leading from one bobbin on which thewinding operation is terminated to another bobbin on which the windingoperation is being started after the controller is engaged by the threadon the second of said bobbins, an eccentric pivot carried by the threadcontroller on which the knife is mounted and means for rotating thepivot to move the knife away from a path tangent to the flanges of thebobbins while the thread controller is enterin between the flanges of anunfilled bobbin. n i

5. A bobbin winding machine having rotatable spindle for supporting aplurality of flanged bobbins, and a thread controller arranged forengagement with the thread between the flanges on a bobbin being woundto cause the winding operation on that bobbin to be terminated and thewinding operation on another bobbin to be started, in combination with aknife for severing the thread leading from one bobbin on which thewinding operation is terminated to another bobbin on which the windingoperation is being started after the controller is engaged by the threadon the second of said bobbins, an eccentric pivot carried by the threadcontroller on which the knife is mounted, an arm connected to theeccentric pivot and stationary pins cooperating with the arm to causethe knife to be moved toward a path tangent to the flanges of thebobbins after the thread controller has entered between the flanges ofan unfilled bobbin and to be moved away from said path after the windingoperation on a bobbin is terminated.

6. A bobbin winding machine having a rotatable spindle for supporting aplurality of flanged bobbins, and a thread controller arranged forengagement with the thread between the flanges on a bobbin being woundto cause the winding operation on that bobbin to be terminated and thewinding operation on another bobbin to be path tangent to the flanges ofthe bobbins after the thread controller has entered between the flangesof an unfilled bobbin and to be moved away from said path after thewinding operation on a bobbin is terminated, and frictional means formaintaining the knife in thread severing position.

RAYMOND L. SLINKARD.

ARTHUR B. MILLER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 282,580 Smith Aug. '7, 18832.343335 Senfleben Mar. 14, 1944

